Deformable signaling pathways

ABSTRACT

A wearable device comprises one or more deformable signaling pathways wherein each deformable signaling pathway is configured to enable an electrical connection between two devices electrically connected to each other via the deformable signaling pathway. Deformable signaling pathways enable the conduction of electrical signals between various circuit elements similar to one or more circuit elements such as electronic traces or wires. A deformable signaling pathway includes one or more conductive elements surrounded by a conductive gel. Both the conductive gel and the one or more conductive elements are encased in an elastomeric shell. The elastomeric shell is attached to terminals (e.g., one on either end). The one or more connectors are attached to one another such that the one or more connectors span the length of the elastomeric shell and form a low resistance contact between the terminals of the deformable signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates, generally, to wearable signalingpathways that are resistant to failure under the application of repeatedcycles of stress and strain. More specifically, the disclosure relatesto deformable signal pathways for use in a wearable device.

Virtual Reality (VR) is a simulated environment related by computertechnology and presented to a user through a VR system. In some VRsystems, a user interacts with virtual objects using a wearable device(e.g., a glove). Conventional wearable devices can detract from a user'sexperience with a VR system, as the connections between variouscomponents on the wearable electrical devices are prone to failure dueto repeated use. Thus, electronics on virtual devices need to beelectrically connected signaling pathways are connected to one anothervia traditional connectors which are not prone to fatigue and failureunder multiple cycles of bend and relaxation.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter include deformable signalingpathways used in virtual reality (VR) systems, augmented reality (AR)systems, and/or mixed reality (MR) systems. Deformable signalingpathways enable the conduction of electrical signals between variouscircuit elements similar to one or more circuit elements such aselectronic traces or wires. In some embodiments, deformable signalingpathways are used in conjunction with one or more sensors andcontrollers in order to enable communication, actuation, and/or sensingfor a haptic apparatus on a wearable device (e.g., a haptic glove) for aVR system. In still other embodiments, deformable signaling pathways aremodular. That is, one or more deformable signaling pathways may becoupled together with other elements to form a composite haptic device.

One example of a deformable signaling pathway is a deformable wire,which enables the formation of an electrical contact between two or moredevices electrically connected to one another via the deformablesignaling pathway (e.g., one at each terminal). For example deviceselectrically connected via a deformable signaling pathway include one ormore haptic devices such as vibrators, actuators, sensors or anycombination of thereof. It should be noted that in one or moreembodiments, the formation of an electrical contact via a deformablesignaling pathway results in the formation of a two-way connectionbetween two or more devices electrically connected via the deformablesignaling pathway. That is, the deformable signaling pathway may enablea controller to transmit and receive currents, voltages, or anycombination thereof via a deformable signaling pathway. A deformablesignaling pathway includes one or more connectors surrounded by aconductive gel. Both the conductive gel and the one or more connectorsare encased in a shell. The shell is attached to terminals (e.g., one oneither end). The one or more connectors are attached to one another suchthat the one or more connectors span the length of the elastomeric shelland form a low resistance contact between the terminals of thedeformable signaling pathway. In one or more embodiments, each connectorincludes a mechanical fastener comprising a hemispherical tip and aslit. In various embodiments, the slit is, for example, a rectangular ora trapezoidal in shape. Typically, two adjacent connectors may becoupled to one another by threading the mechanical fastener associatedwith a first connector through the slit of a second connector. In thisway, the coupled mechanical connectors form a chain. In an embodiment, achain of two or more connectors coupled to one another spans the lengthof the elastomeric shell. In other embodiments, the slit is rectangularslit, or circular. In an embodiment, the two connectors are connected inthis way may have two degrees of freedom (e.g., sliding left and rightalong the slit and into and out of the pane of the mechanicalconnector).

The shell is may be comprised of one or more elastomeric materials. Inone or more embodiments, the gel may be a hydrogel, an organogel, orsome combination thereof. In one or more embodiments, the conductive gelsurrounding the connectors suspends a plurality of conductive particles.The connectors are constructed out of KAPTON and coated with aconductive coating (e.g., gold).

In various embodiments, a deformable signaling pathway is additionallycoupled with a controller. The controller comprises a driver circuit forgenerating and propagating the appropriate voltage across the deformablesignaling assembly, a data store for storing instructions including oneor more calibration parameters, and an interface for communicating withthe VR system. In various embodiments, the driver circuit includes adigital to analog converter, a processor, or any combination thereof.

In another example embodiment, a deformation of the signaling pathwaypresents a measurable change in resistance measured across thedeformation sensor under the application of an external stress, strain,or any combination thereof. In this embodiment, the driver circuitassociated with the controller additionally comprises circuitry tomeasure the resistance across the deformable signaling pathway. Forexample, the driver circuit additionally includes one or more voltageand current sources as well as an analog to digital converter (ADC) inorder to apply the appropriate voltage and/or current waveform acrossthe deformable signaling pathway and measure a change in resistance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wearable accessory including a plurality ofdeformable signaling pathways attached to portions of a glove body, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2A illustrates a side-view of a single deformable signaling pathwaydeformed by the application of tension along a horizontal dimension, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2B shows the deformable signaling pathway depicted in FIG. 2Adeformed by a compression, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2C shows the deformable signaling pathway of FIG. 2A being bent byan angle α away from the midline of the deformable signaling inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3A, illustrates a side-view of a connector in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 3B is a top-down view of the connector of FIG. 3A in accordancewith an embodiment.

FIG. 4A illustrates a side-view of a single deformable signaling pathwayat equilibrium, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4B illustrates a side-view of a single deformable signaling pathwaywhen deformed due to a compression, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4C depicts a deformable signaling pathway when deformed due to atension, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system environment including a VR system,in accordance with an embodiment.

The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustrationonly. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

System Overview

Embodiments of the invention may include or be implemented inconjunction with an artificial reality system. Artificial reality is aform of reality that has been adjusted in some manner beforepresentation to a user, which may include, e.g., a virtual reality (VR),an augmented reality (AR), a mixed reality (MR), a hybrid reality, orsome combination and/or derivatives thereof. Artificial reality contentmay include completely generated content or generated content combinedwith captured (e.g., real-world) content. The artificial reality contentmay include video, audio, haptic feedback, or some combination thereof,and any of which may be presented in a single channel or in multiplechannels (such as stereo video that produces a three-dimensional effectto the viewer). Additionally, in some embodiments, artificial realitymay also be associated with applications, products, accessories,services, or some combination thereof, that are used to, e.g., createcontent in an artificial reality and/or are otherwise used in (e.g.,perform activities in) an artificial reality. The artificial realitysystem that provides the artificial reality content may be implementedon various platforms, including a head-mounted display (HMD) connectedto a host computer system, a standalone HMD, a mobile device orcomputing system, or any other hardware platform capable of providingartificial reality content to one or more viewers.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wearable accessory 100 including a plurality ofdeformable signaling pathways 120 attached to portions of a glove body105, in accordance with an embodiment. The wearable accessory 100 may beused as part of, e.g., a system for interacting with virtual objects ina virtual environment. The wearable accessory 100 illustrated in FIG. 1includes the glove body 105, a plurality of deformable signalingpathways 120, and a controller 130.

The glove body 105 represents a glove worn by a user that providesinputs to the VR system. In various embodiments, the glove body 105comprises an elastomer substrate (e.g., a flexible fiber or otherflexible material such as rubber or skin) configured to bend and/or flexwith the user as the user interacts with a virtual object. For example,if the user grabs a virtual apple in a VR environment, the glove body105 is configured to deform in conjunction to the user's hand in orderto mimic a “grabbing” action. In another example, if a user throws anobject in a virtual environment the glove body 105 is configured todeform with respect to the user's hand in order to mimic a “throwing”action.

The glove body 105 may also contain one or more anchors configured toanchor a deformable signaling pathway 120 to the substrate. In FIG. 1,the glove body 105 comprises a fingertip anchor 110 a and a base anchor110 b on each of the fingers of the glove body 105. Both the fingertipanchor 110 a and base anchor 110 b, are configured to anchor thedeformable signaling pathway 120 to the glove body 105. In anotherembodiment, there is no glove body 105 and the fingertip anchor 110 aand base anchor 110 b couple directly to the user's skin. In still otherembodiments, the glove body 105, itself, is the user's skin and thefingertip anchor 110 a and the base anchor 110 b attach the deformablesignaling pathway 120 directly to the user's hand. In this embodiment,the anchors comprise straps or adhesive tape. It should also be noted,that in various other embodiments, there may be more or fewer anchorsconfigured to couple a deformable signaling pathway 120 to the user'sfinger or to a glove body 105.

In FIG. 1, each deformable signaling pathway 120 is connected to thecontroller 130 through flexible conductive traces 140. The flexibleconductive traces 140 may comprise thin metallic traces, or some otherflexible conductive compound. In one example embodiment, each of theflexible conductive traces 140 depicted in FIG. 1 is a deformablesignaling pathway 120. In still other example embodiments, each of theflexible conductive traces 140 are an arrangement of one or moredeformable signaling pathways 120 connected together, or any combinationof deformable signaling pathways 120 and flexible conductive traces 140.

A deformable signaling pathway 120 enables a low-resistance electricalconnection between two electrical elements connected together via thedeformable signaling pathway 120. For example, the deformable signalingpathway 120 may present a resistance between 0 Ohms (Ω) and 1,000Ω. Thedeformable signaling pathway 120 is resistant to random changes inelectrical resistance measured across the deformable signaling pathwaycaused by fatigue and/or failure due to repeated applications of stress,strain caused by repeated blending, flexing or any combination thereof.The deformable signaling pathway 120 is further described below inconjunction with FIGS. 2A-4C.

In another embodiment, the deformable signaling assembly 120 isconfigured to detect the magnitude of an applied stress or strain (e.g.,compression, bend, flex, stretch or any combination thereof). An appliedstress or strain may result in a change in the magnitude of theelectrical resistance measured across the deformable signaling pathway120. For example, while a fully extended (e.g., no applied strain orstress) deformable signaling pathway 120 may present a resistance of10Ω, a bent or compressed (e.g., a non-zero applied strain) deformablesignaling pathway 120 presents a resistance of 1Ω. In other embodiments,the resistance of a deformable signaling pathway 120 may increaselinearly with the magnitude of the applied strain.

The controller 130 allows the plurality of deformable signaling pathways120 to communicate with a console; store instructions and measurements;generate and propagate waveforms down one or more deformable signalingpathways; and receive messages from one or more electrical devicesconnected to a deformable signaling pathway 120. In an embodiment, thecontroller 130 is also configured to measure the resistance of each ofthe one or more deformable signaling pathways 120. As shown in FIG. 1,the controller 130 is connected to each of the one or more deformablesignaling pathways 120. In FIG. 1, the controller 130 comprises a datastore 142, a driver circuit 146, and an interface 144. Some embodimentsof the controller 130 may have additional or fewer modules than thosedescribed here. Similarly, the functions can be distributed among themodules in a different manner than is described here.

The data store 142 stores one or more measurements obtained by thedriver circuit 146. For example, the data store 142 may storecalibration instructions to account for temperature, and frequency. Inother embodiments, the data store 142 may also store calibrationinstructions from the interface 146. Typically, calibration instructionsstored in the data store 142 enable the controller 130 to account forchanges to the electrical characteristics over time of the one or moredeformable signaling pathways 120 attached to the controller 130. Forexample, the controller 130 performs a calibration at every power up andstores the current values of calibration parameters in the data store142.

The controller 130 may also store the received one or more measurementsin the data store 142. For example, the controller 130 receivesmeasurements from the one or more electrical devices connected to it viaa deformable signaling pathway 120. The received measurements may berepresented as a <key, value> pair and stored in the data store 142. Invarious embodiments, the key may be sensorID associated with a sensorelectrically connected to a deformable signaling pathway 120.Accordingly, the value associated with the sensorID may be a sensorvalue. In an example embodiment, value associated with the stored <key,value> pair is a text value, a pressure value, a stress value,resistance value, a voltage value, or a temperature value. A valueassociated with a particular <key, value> pair may be any measurementthat can be measured by a sensor electrically connected to a deformablesignaling assembly 120. Similarly, a key typically represents anyelectric device electrically connected to a deformable signaling pathway120. For example, in still other embodiments, measurements stored in thedata store 142 may be additionally associated with a time stamp.

The interface 144 facilitates communications between the VR system, thedriver circuit 146, and the data store 142. In other embodiments, the VRsystem is an AR system or any combination of VR and AR systems. That is,the interface 144 is configured to receive one or more instructions togenerate and transmit a sequence of voltages or currents across one ormore of the deformable signaling pathways 120 attached to the controller130. In one or more embodiments, the interface 144 is configured to mapa received instruction to a digital or analog voltage representation.For example, a received instruction to “bend the index finger” mayresult in the generation of an instruction by the interface 144 togenerate a voltage of 5 V and transmit this voltage across thedeformable signaling pathway 120 associated with the index finger. Inanother example, an instruction to “make a fist” may result in thegeneration of a set of instructions by the interface 144 to generate avoltage of 5 V and transmit this voltage across each of the one or moredeformable signaling pathways 120 connected to a controller 130. Inother embodiments, the interface 144 receives a sequence of instructionsseparated by time from a console 510. The interface 144 may store one ormore instructions received from the console 510 in the data store 142.The console 510 is further described below in conjunction with FIG. 5.

In still other embodiments, the interface 144 may receive instructionsfrom the VR system comprising calibration instructions. The receivedcalibration instructions may enable the configuration of the drivercircuit 146. For example, the interface 144 may receive one or moreinstructions to modify the sample rate, sampling resolution. In otherembodiments, the received calibration instructions are associated withone or more calibration parameters such as temperature sensitivity,model linearity associated with the mapping function. In one or moreembodiments, the received calibration instructions and associatedcalibration parameters are stored in the data store 142 by the interface144.

The interface 146 may communicate one or more measurements performed bya driver circuit 146 to a console. In various embodiments, themeasurement communicated to the console is retrieved from the data store142. The interface 146 may be coupled to the console via, e.g., a wiredconnection, a wireless connection, or both.

The driver circuit 146 generates voltage or current waveforms fortransmission across each of the one or more deformable signalingpathways 120 connected to the controller 130. In one embodiment, thevoltage or current waveforms are generated based on instructionsreceived from the interface 144. In order to generate and transmit oneor more current or voltage signals across a deformable signaling pathway120, the driver circuit 146 includes a digital to analog converter(DAC), a current source, a voltage source, and a combination of circuitelements (e.g., resistors, inductors, capacitors, and transistors). Thedriver circuit 146 may also be configured to measure the impedance ofeach of the one or more deformable signaling pathways 120 and adjust theoutput voltage or current accordingly. For example, in response to ameasured impedance across a deformable signaling pathway 120, the drivercircuit 146 increases or decreases the magnitude of the generatedvoltage or current waveform. In some embodiments, the DAC associatedwith the driver circuit 146 is further configured with one or morecalibration parameters.

In still other embodiments, the driver circuit 146 receives analogvoltage waveforms from one or more electrical devices via a deformablesignaling pathway 120. The driver circuit 146 is configured to processthe received analog voltage waveform and determine an appropriatedigital representation of the received analog voltage waveform. Forexample, the driver circuit 146 may include an analog to digitalconverter (ADC). The ADC processes a received analog voltage signal andconverts the signal into its corresponding digital representation. Thedigital representation of the received voltage signal may besubsequently transmitted to a console 510 via the interface 144. Theconsole 510 is further discussed below in below in conjunction with FIG.5. In other embodiments, the determined digital representation isadditionally or alternatively stored in the data store 142 as a <key,value> pair. The data store 142 is further described above.

The driver circuit 146 may also be configured to condition a voltage orcurrent waveforms received via a deformable signaling pathways 120associated with the controller 130. For example, the driver circuit 146may include a combination of resistors, capacitors, inductors, activecomponents (e.g., diodes and transistors) to render the circuit immuneto an electrostatic discharge. The driver circuit 146 may also includeone or more resistors, capacitors, inductors, processors, to provide thefunctionality of an electrical filter. For example, the driver circuit146 includes a set of high and low pass filters to provide immunity toelectromagnetic interference.

FIG. 2A illustrates a side-view of a single deformable signaling pathway200 deformed by the application of tension 214 along a horizontaldimension 250, in accordance with an embodiment. In some embodiments,the deformable signaling pathway 200 is an embodiment of the deformablesignaling pathway 120 depicted in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2A, atequilibrium (e.g., no applied stress or strain) the deformable signalingpathway 200 has a nominal horizontal length X_(o) along horizontaldimension 250 and a nominal vertical length Y_(o) along verticaldimension 255. In FIG. 2A, the application of a tension 214 to thedeformable signaling pathway 200 causes the horizontal length (e.g.,width) of the deformable signaling pathway 200 to increase in thehorizontal dimension 250 to some length X larger than the nominalhorizontal length X_(o). An increase in the horizontal length of thedeformable signaling pathway 200 is associated with a correspondingdecrease in the vertical length (e.g., height) of the deformablesignaling pathway 200 along vertical dimension 255. In the exampleembodiment depicted in FIG. 2A the tension 214 causes the verticallength of the deformable signaling pathway 200 to decrease alongvertical dimension 255 to some length Y less than the nominal verticallength Y_(o). Generally, the horizontal length of the deformablesignaling pathway 200 increases in response to the application oftension 214 in the horizontal dimension 250. Electrical contact betweenterminals 260 a and 260 b is maintained despite changes made in thehorizontal length (e.g., increase or decrease) of the deformablesignaling pathway 200.

The deformable signaling pathway 200 illustrated in FIG. 2A includes ashell 220, a conductive gel 230, a plurality of connectors 240, andterminals 260 a and 260 b. Responsive to an applied tension 214, theshell 220 generates restoring forces to relieve the effect of an appliedtension (e.g., an increase the in the horizontal length). Typically, therestoring forces are directed towards a direction that restores theoriginal size and shape of the shell 220. For example, the tension 214depicted in FIG. 2A results in an increase in horizontal length X and adecrease in vertical length Y and the generated restoring forces areconfigured to return the deformable signaling pathway 200 to its sizeand shape at equilibrium (e.g., when no tension 240 is applied). Inother embodiments, the horizontal dimension 250 and the verticaldimension 255 correspond to the x and y-axis in a Cartesian coordinatesystem, respectively. In these embodiments, responsive to an appliedforce, an increase (or decrease) in the horizontal length X may also becoupled with a decrease (or increase) in the depth (e.g., along thez-axis) of the deformable signaling pathway 200.

The shell 220 comprises a conductive gel 230. In embodiments where theconductive gel 230 includes a plurality of conductive particles, theconductive gel 230 is configured to suspend or dissolve a plurality ofconductive particles. In an embodiment, the morphology of the conductiveparticles. In an example embodiment, the diameter of the conductiveparticles is in the range of 10 nanometers (nm) and 10 micrometers (μm).The conductive particles may be spherical particles comprised ofgraphite allotropes, and metals such silver, copper, or gold.Alternatively, each of the conductive particles includes an anisotropicphase with a dimensionally large aspect ratio (e.g., a carbon nanotube,a graphene sheet, a metal chalcogenide sheet, or a metal nanowire).Here, the conductive gel 230 may be electrically neutral or possess acationic or anionic charge. In embodiments where the conductive gel 230posse a cationic or anionic charge, the conductive gel 230 serves as aviscous carrier fluid or gel in which the conductive particles aresuspended. In other embodiments the conductive gel 230 has a viscosityin the range of 400 centipoise (cps) to 10⁶ cps. Typically, theconductivity of the conductive gel 230 is will range from 0.1Siemens/meter (S/m) to 100 S/m. In various other embodiments, theconductivity of the conductive gel 230 may be tuned by varying theconcentration of the associated conductive particles.

Embedded within the conductive gel 230 are a plurality of connectors240. In various embodiments, each of the plurality of connectors 240 iscoupled to its adjacent connector 240 forming a chain that spans thedeformable signaling pathway 200 along horizontal dimension 250. In oneor more embodiments, the chain of connectors 240 is configured to form alow resistance electric connection between terminals 260 a and 260 b viathe conductive thread 265. The conductive thread 265 passes through theshell 220 and couples the chain of connectors 240 to terminals 260 a and260 b. For example, a current applied to the deformable signalingpathway through terminal 260 a propagates to terminal 260 b along thechain of connectors 240. Similarly, in another example, if a voltage V1is applied to terminal 260 a, terminal 260 b is also charged to thevoltage V1. In the example above it should be noted that if bothterminals 260 a and 260 b are charged to a voltage V1, the conductivethread 265 and each of connectors 240 in the chain of connectors 240 isalso charged to the voltage V1. In other embodiments, there may be somerestive loss across the conductive thread 265, and the chain ofconnectors 240. For example, the resistance of each connectors 240 is avalue between 0Ω and a 1,000Ω. That is, if terminal 260 a is charged toa voltage V1, terminal 260 b is charged to a voltage V1-V2 where V2 isthe voltage lost due to resistive losses across the chain of connectors240. The resistive loss V2 is proportional to the total number ofconnectors 240 comprising the chain of connectors 240. Connectors 240are further described below in conjunction with FIG. 3.

In FIG. 2A, the plurality of connectors 240 (e.g., four) are coupled, inseries, together to form a chain that electrically links the terminals260 a and 260 b. In FIG. 2A, the four connectors 240 span the horizontallength of the shell 220 along the horizontal dimension 250 such that theconnectors 240 make a low resistance electrical connection withterminals 260 a and 260 b. In one or more embodiments, the applicationof a tension 214 results in an increase in the spacing between eachadjacent connector. The connectors 240 are further described below inconjunction with FIGS. 3A and 3B.

Each terminal 260 a and 260 b is composed of a high conductivitymaterial, such as copper. Each terminal 260 a and 260 b may additionallybe a non-conductive material coated with a thin layer of gold or otherhigh conductivity material. The terminals 260 a and 260 b are configuredto enable the application and/or measurement of a voltage, current, andresistance, across the deformable signaling pathway 200. In variousembodiments, each terminal is attached to a conductive thread 265. Theconductive thread 265 passes through the shell 220 and forms a lowresistance electrical contact with a connector 240.

FIG. 2B shows the deformable signaling pathway 200 depicted in FIG. 2Adeformed by compression 212, in accordance with an embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 2B, the compression 212 is incident upon terminal260 a and 260 b in a direction parallel to the horizontal dimension 250and is configured to push the two terminals 260 a and 260 b of thedeformable signaling pathway 200 towards one another. In FIG. 2B, thecompression 212 causes the horizontal length of the deformable signalingpathway 200 to decrease along the horizontal dimension 250 such that theresultant horizontal length of the deformable signaling pathway 200 isless than the nominal horizontal length X_(o). The reduction in thehorizontal length of the deformable signaling pathway 200 is typicallyassociated with a corresponding increase in its vertical length. Forexample, in FIG. 2B, a horizontal length less than the nominalhorizontal length X_(o) is associated with a vertical length greaterthan the nominal vertical length Y_(o).

Similar to FIG. 2A, in FIG. 2B the application of a compression 212results in a decrease in horizontal length and the generation ofrestoring forces along the shell 220. The generated restoring forces areconfigured to return the deformable signaling pathway 200 to itsoriginal size and shape (e.g., when no compression 212 was applied). Inone or more embodiments, a decrease in the horizontal length of thedeformable signaling pathway 200 is associated with an increase in itsvertical length. In an embodiment, the increase in vertical length isproportional to the decrease in horizontal length. That is, thegenerated restoring forces act to return the shell 220 to its originalsize and shape when compressed by the compression 212. Generally, theapplication of a compression 212 results in a reduction of the distancebetween adjacent connectors 240. For example, in FIG. 2B, distancebetween each of the adjacent connectors 240 is at its minimal value. Itshould be noted that in FIG. 2B, the four connectors 240 form a lowresistance electrical contact between terminals 260 a and 260 b.

FIG. 2C shows the deformable signaling pathway 200 of FIG. 2A being bentby a bend angle (α) 290 away from a midline 295 of the deformablesignaling pathway 200 in accordance with an embodiment. In FIG. 2C abend of an angle α 290 away from the midline 295 generates restoringforces to counteract the induced bend. That is, the restoring forces aredirected in directions that would restore the deformable signalingpathway 200 to its original size and shape. In FIG. 2C, the deformablesignaling pathway 200 has a horizontal length less than the nominalhorizontal length X_(o) and a vertical length larger than the nominalvertical length Y_(o). The application of any combination of stressesand/or strains (e.g., compression, tension, shear, bending, and torsion)causes the chain of one or more connectors 240 to move in relation toone another in order to maintain an electrical contact between terminals260 a and 260 b. For example, in FIG. 2C, a bend of an angle α 290 awayfrom the midline 295 of the deformable signaling pathway 200, may causeadjacent connectors 240 to rearrange themselves with respect to oneanother in order to span the length of the shell 220 and maintainelectrical contact between terminals 260 a and 260 b. In otherembodiments, the plurality of connectors 240 rotate in relation to oneanother such that they form different patterns in order to span thehorizontal length of the deformable signaling pathway 200. Possiblerotations of individual connectors 240 are further described below inconjunction with FIG. 3.

Under a combination of stresses and strains caused by a bend of an angleα, the deformable signaling pathway 200 maintains electrical contactbetween terminals 260 a and 260 b via the connectors 240.

FIGS. 3A and 3B both illustrate a side-view 300 and a top-down view 301of a connector 305 in accordance with an embodiment. Here, the connector305 is an embodiment of the connector 240. FIG. 3A is a side-view 300 ofa connector 305 in accordance with an embodiment. The connector 305 isan embodiment of a connector 240. The connector 240 includes a body 310and a mechanical fastener 320 attached at one end to the body 310. In anembodiment, the body 310 is flexible. For example in one or more exampleembodiments, both the body 310 and mechanical fastener 320 areconstructed out of a flexible electrically insulating polyamide materialelectroplated with highly conductive compound. In another exampleembodiment, the body 310 is a KAPTON sheet electroplated with a thinlayer of gold. In other embodiments, the body 310 is rigid.

The mechanical fastener 320 is comprised of a hemispherical tip 322attached to a cylindrical shaft 324. In various embodiments, one end ofthe cylindrical shaft 324 is fused to the body 310 while the other endof the cylindrical shaft 324 is fused to the hemispherical tip 322.Typically, the diameter of the hemispherical tip 322 is larger than thediameter of the shaft.

FIG. 3B is a top-down view 301 of the connector 305 of FIG. 3A inaccordance with an embodiment. FIG. 3B depicts the hemispherical tip 322and a slit 330 associated with the connector 305. Typically, two or moreconnectors 305 may be attached to one another by threading themechanical fasteners 320 of each connector 305 through the slit 330 ofits adjacent connector 305. For example, two connectors (e.g., twoconnectors 305) are coupled to one another by threading the mechanicalfastener 320 of a first connector through a slit of a second connector.Two connectors coupled in this way have two degrees of freedom in termsof the available motion. In the embodiment described in the previousexample, the second connector can rotate 360 with respect to the firstconnector. In another example embodiment, the second mechanicalconnector can translate along the length of the slit 330 associated withthe first mechanical. Thus, in an embodiment, a chain comprising aplurality of connectors 305 can be made arbitrarily long by repeatedlycoupling connectors together in the manner described above.

In various embodiments, the diameter of the slit 330 is approximatelyequal to or less than the diameter of the cylindrical shaft 324 whilethe diameter of the hemispherical tip 322 is larger than the diameter ofthe cylindrical shaft 324. Thus, threading the mechanical fastener 320of each connector 305 of the two or more connectors 305 through the slit330 of its adjacent connector 305 may allow the two or more connectors305 to freely slide relative to one another along the slit 330 whilemaintaining electrical contact. Such an arrangement may enable theformation of a reliable electrical connection between the terminals ofdeformable signaling pathway 120 as depicted above in conjunction withFIGS. 2A-2C.

FIG. 4A illustrates a side-view of a single deformable signaling pathway400 at equilibrium, in accordance with an embodiment. Here, a deformablesignaling pathway 400 is an embodiment of deformable signaling pathway120 described above in conjunction with FIG. 1. In the absence of anapplied stress or strain, the deformable signaling pathway 400 isunderstood to be at equilibrium. As shown in FIG. 4A, at equilibrium,the deformable signaling pathway 400 has a nominal horizontal lengthX_(o) and a nominal vertical length Y_(o). The deformable signalingpathway 400 includes a shell 220, a conductive gel 230, terminal 260 aand terminal 260 b, a top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a-b, andanchors 420. Embedded within the conductive gel 230, are a set of topand bottom spring leaves 450 a and 450 b configured to enable a lowresistance electrical contact between terminals 260 a and 260 b via theconductive thread 265. FIGS. 4B and 4C, further described below,illustrate a deformable signaling pathway 400 is undergoing acompression and tension, respectively.

The top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a and 450 b, together, forma low resistance electrical connection between terminals 260 a and 260b. Each set of spring leaves 450 a and 450 b comprise one or moreindividual U-shaped conductive elements. For example, in FIG. 4A, boththe top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a and 450 b each include atleast two U-shaped conductive elements. In various embodiments, thespring leaves 410 comprise a polymer with good spring qualities (e.g.,KAPTON). Spring qualities include spring constant. In one exampleembodiment, the top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a and 450 b areboth constructed of KAPTON bent into a U-shape and coated with gold. Inthe example embodiment depicted in FIG. 4A each of the individualU-shaped conductive elements associated with one of the top or bottomset of spring leaves 450 a and 450 b are anchored to the shell 220through anchors 420. In one or more embodiments, the anchors 420mechanically attach the top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a and450 b to the top and bottom walls of the shell 220, respectively. Inthis way, the application of a deformation on the shell 220 results in acorresponding deformation of the top and bottom set of spring leaves 450a and 450 b. The behavior of the spring leaves when the deformablesignal pathway 400 is deformed due to an applied force (e.g.,compression, tension, etc.) is further described below in conjunctionwith FIGS. 4B and 4C.

The spring leaves 450 a and 450 b are held in mechanical contact to oneanother through spring forces 430. Typically, the formation of amechanical contact results in the formation of an electrical contactbetween the top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a-b. For example,current applied to the deformable signaling pathway through terminal 260a propagates to terminal 260 b along the top and bottom set of springleaves 450 a and 450 b. Similarly, in another example, if a voltage V1is applied to terminal 260 a, terminal 260 b is also charged to thevoltage V1. In the example above it should be noted that if bothterminal 260 a and terminal 260 b are charged to a voltage V1, theconductive thread 265 and the top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 aand 450 b are also charged to the voltage V1. In other embodiments,there may be some restive loss across the conductive thread 265, and thetop and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a and 450 b. For example, theresistance of each U-shaped element is a value between 0Ω and a 1,000Ω.That is, if terminal 260 a is charged to a voltage V1, terminal 260 b ischarged to a voltage V1-V2 where V2 is the voltage lost due to resistivelosses across the top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a and 450 b.The resistive loss V2 is proportional to the total number of U-shapedelements comprising the top and bottom set of spring leaves 450 a and450 b.

FIG. 4B illustrates a side-view of a single deformable signaling pathway400 that is deformed due to a compression 460, in accordance with anembodiment. The compression 460 is directed along the horizontaldimension 250. In FIG. 4B, the external compressive stress 460 resultsin a decrease of the horizontal length of the deformable signalingpathway 400 such that the resultant horizontal length is less than thenominal horizontal length X_(o). A decrease in horizontal length of thedeformable signaling pathway 400 is associated with a compression ineach of the individual U-shaped elements. That is, each of theindividual U-shaped elements comprising a set of spring leaves (e.g.,top set of spring leaves 450 a and bottom set of spring leaves 450 b)are closer together when the deformable signaling pathway is compressed.In one or more embodiments, a compression of the deformable signalingpathway 400 along the horizontal dimension 250 is associated with anincrease of the vertical length of the deformable signaling pathway 400along the vertical dimension 255.

As shown in FIG. 4B, a decrease in the horizontal length of thedeformable signaling pathway 400 generates, restoring forces on theshell 220. In FIG. 4B the generated restoring forces work to return thedeformable signaling pathway 400 to its original size and shape. In oneor more embodiments, the magnitude of the generated restoring forces isrelated to a magnitude of the deformation 460. That is, the generatedrestoring forces are configured to return the shell 220 to its originalsize and shape.

FIG. 4C depicts a deformable signaling pathway 400 that is deformed dueto tension 470, in accordance with an embodiment. The tension 470results in an increase in the horizontal length of the deformablesignaling pathway 400 such that the horizontal length is larger than thenominal horizontal length X_(o). In various embodiments, an increase inthe horizontal length of the deformable signaling pathway 400 isassociated with a corresponding decrease in its vertical length.Generally, the horizontal length of the deformable signaling pathway 400is inversely related to its vertical length. The application of tension470 results in the generation of restoring along the shell 220. Thegenerated restoring forces are configured to return the deformeddeformable signaling pathway 400 to its original size and shape.

HMD System Overview

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system 500 including a haptic device 560comprising a digital processing unit (DSP), in accordance with oneembodiment. The system 500 may operate in an artificial realityenvironment, or some combination thereof. The system comprises ahead-mounted display (HMD) 505, an imaging device 535, and the hapticdevice 560 that are each coupled to a console 510. While FIG. 5 shows anexample system 500 including one Head Mounted Display (HMD) 505, oneimaging device 535, and 1 haptic device 560, in other embodiments anynumber of these components may be included in the system 500. Forexample, there may be multiple HMDs 505 each having an associated hapticdevice 560 each of which is monitored by one or more imaging devices535. Here, each HMD 505, haptic device 560, and imaging devices 535communicating with the console 510. In alternative configurations,different and/or additional components may be included in the systemenvironment 500. Additionally, in some embodiments the system 500 ismodified to include other system environments, such as a VR, AR systemenvironment, or any combination thereof.

The HMD 505 is a head-mounted display that presents media to a user.Examples of media presented by the HMD 505 include one or more images,video, audio, or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, audio ispresented via an external device (e.g., speakers and/or headphones) thatreceives audio information from the HMD 505, the console 510, or both,and presents audio data based on the audio information. The HMD 505 maycomprise one or more rigid bodies, which are rigidly or non-rigidlycoupled to each other. A rigid coupling between rigid bodies causes thecoupled rigid bodies to act as a single rigid entity. In contrast, anon-rigid coupling between rigid bodies allows the rigid bodies to moverelative to each other. In some embodiments, the HMD 505 may also act asan artificial reality headset. In these embodiments, the HMD 505augments views of a physical, real-world environment withcomputer-generated elements (e.g., images, video, and sound).

The HMD 505 includes an electronic display 515, an optics block 518, oneor more locators 520, one or more position sensors 525, and an inertialmeasurement unit (IMU) 530.

The optics block 518 magnifies received light from the electronicdisplay 515, corrects optical errors associated with the image light,and the corrected image light is presented to a user of the HMD 505. Anoptical element may be an aperture, a Fresnel lens, a convex lens, aconcave lens, a filter, or any other suitable optical element thataffects the image light emitted from the electronic display 515.Moreover, the optics block 518 may include combinations of differentoptical elements. In some embodiments, one or more of the opticalelements in the optics block 518 may have one or more coatings, such asanti-reflective coatings.

The locators 520 are objects located in specific positions on the HMD505 relative to one another and relative to a specific reference pointon the HMD 505. A locator 520 may be a light emitting diode (LED), acorner cube reflector, a reflective marker, a type of light source thatcontrasts with an environment in which the HMD 505 operates, or somecombination thereof. In embodiments where the locators 520 are active(i.e., an LED or other type of light emitting device), the locators 520may emit light in the visible band (˜380 nm to 550 nm), in the infrared(IR) band (˜750 nm to 1 mm), in the ultraviolet band (10 nm to 380 nm),some other portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, or some combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, the locators 520 are located beneath an outersurface of the HMD 505, which is transparent to the wavelengths of lightemitted or reflected by the locators 520 or is thin enough to notsubstantially attenuate the wavelengths of light emitted or reflected bythe locators 520. Additionally, in some embodiments, the outer surfaceor other portions of the HMD 505 are opaque in the visible band ofwavelengths of light. Thus, the locators 520 may emit light in the IRband under an outer surface that is transparent in the IR band butopaque in the visible band.

The IMU 530 is an electronic device that generates fast calibration databased on measurement signals received from one or more of the positionsensors 525. A position sensor 525 generates one or more measurementsignals in response to motion of the HMD 505. Examples of positionsensors 525 include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes,one or more magnetometers, another suitable type of sensor that detectsmotion, a type of sensor used for error correction of the IMU 530, orsome combination thereof. The position sensors 525 may be locatedexternal to the IMU 530, internal to the IMU 530, or some combinationthereof.

Based on the one or more measurement signals from one or more positionsensors 525, the IMU 530 generates fast calibration data indicating anestimated position of the HMD 505 relative to an initial position of theHMD 505. For example, the position sensors 525 include multipleaccelerometers to measure translational motion (forward/back, up/down,left/right) and multiple gyroscopes to measure rotational motion (e.g.,pitch, yaw, and roll). In some embodiments, the IMU 530 rapidly samplesthe measurement signals and calculates the estimated position of the HMD505 from the sampled data. For example, the IMU 530 integrates themeasurement signals received from the accelerometers over time toestimate a velocity vector and integrates the velocity vector over timeto determine an estimated position of a reference point on the HMD 505.Alternatively, the IMU 530 provides the sampled measurement signals tothe console 510, which determines the fast calibration data. Thereference point is a point that may be used to describe the position ofthe HMD 505. While the reference point may generally be defined as apoint in space; however, in practice the reference point is defined as apoint within the HMD 505 (e.g., a center of the IMU 530).

The IMU 530 receives one or more calibration parameters from the console510. As further discussed below, the one or more calibration parametersare used to maintain tracking of the HMD 505. Based on a receivedcalibration parameter, the IMU 530 may adjust one or more IMU parameters(e.g., sample rate). In some embodiments, certain calibration parameterscause the IMU 530 to update an initial position of the reference pointso it corresponds to a next calibrated position of the reference point.Updating the initial position of the reference point as the nextcalibrated position of the reference point helps reduce accumulatederror associated with the determined estimated position. The accumulatederror, also referred to as drift error, causes the estimated position ofthe reference point to “drift” away from the actual position of thereference point over time.

The imaging device 535 generates slow calibration data in accordancewith calibration parameters received from the console 510. Slowcalibration data includes one or more images showing observed positionsof the locators 520 that are detectable by the imaging device 535. Theimaging device 535 may include one or more cameras, one or more videocameras, any other device capable of capturing images including one ormore of the locators 520, or some combination thereof. Additionally, theimaging device 535 may include one or more filters (e.g., used toincrease signal to noise ratio). The imaging device 535 is designed todetect light emitted or reflected from locators 520 in a field of viewof the imaging device 535. In embodiments where the locators 520 includepassive elements (e.g., a retroreflector), the imaging device 535 mayinclude a light source that illuminates some or all of the locators 520,which retro-reflect the light towards the light source in the imagingdevice 535. Slow calibration data is communicated from the imagingdevice 535 to the console 510, and the imaging device 535 receives oneor more calibration parameters from the console 510 to adjust one ormore imaging parameters (e.g., focal length, focus, frame rate, ISO,sensor temperature, shutter speed, aperture).

Based on the one or more measurement signals from the controller 130,the console 510 may send on or more instructions to the haptic device560. For example, the console 510 may send instructions comprising theoperation of one or more electrical devices associated with the hapticdevice 560 (e.g., actuators, motors, vibrators). In some embodiments,the console 510 rapidly samples the measurement signals received fromthe haptic device 560 and calculates a current state of the hapticdevice 560 from the sampled data. In other embodiments, the hapticdevice 560 provides the sampled measurement signals to the console 510,which determines and provides one or more calibration instructions tothe haptic device 560.

The haptic device 560 is a device that allows the console 510 tocommunicate with one or more other haptic devices 560. In one or moreembodiments, the haptic device is the wearable accessory 100 including aDSP module. In still other embodiments, the haptic device 560 is acombination of one or more wearable accessories 100. The wearableaccessory 100 is further described above in conjunction with FIG. 1.

The console 510 provides media to the HMD 505 for presentation to theuser in accordance with information received from one or more of: theimaging device 535, the HMD 505, and the haptic device 560. In theexample shown in FIG. 5, the console 510 includes an application store545, a tracking module 550, and a VR engine 555. Some embodiments of theconsole 510 have different modules than those described in conjunctionwith FIG. 5. Similarly, the functions further described below may bedistributed among components of the console 510 in a different mannerthan is described here.

The application store 545 stores one or more applications for executionby the console 510. An application is a group of instructions, that whenexecuted by a processor, generates content for presentation to the user.Content generated by an application may be in response to inputsreceived from the user via movement of the HMD 505 or the haptic device560. Examples of applications include gaming applications, conferencingapplications, video playback application, or other suitableapplications.

The tracking module 550 calibrates the system 500 using one or morecalibration parameters and may adjust one or more calibration parametersto reduce error in determination of the position of the HMD 505. Forexample, the tracking module 550 adjusts the focus of the imaging device535 to obtain a more accurate position for observed locators on the HMD505. Moreover, calibration performed by the tracking module 550 alsoaccounts for information received from the IMU 530. Additionally, iftracking of the HMD 505 is lost (e.g., the imaging device 535 loses lineof sight of at least a threshold number of the locators 520), thetracking module 550 re-calibrates some or the entire system environment500.

The tracking module 550 tracks movements of the HMD 505 using slowcalibration information from the imaging device 535. The tracking module550 determines positions of a reference point of the HMD 505 usingobserved locators from the slow calibration information and a model ofthe HMD 505. The tracking module 550 also determines positions of areference point of the HMD 505 using position information from the fastcalibration information. Additionally, in some embodiments, the trackingmodule 550 may use portions of the fast calibration information, theslow calibration information, or some combination thereof, to predict afuture location of the headset 505. The tracking module 550 provides theestimated or predicted future position of the HMD 505 to the Engine 555.

The engine 555 executes applications within the system environment 500and receives position information, acceleration information, velocityinformation, predicted future positions, or some combination thereof ofthe HMD 505 from the tracking module 550. Based on the receivedinformation, the engine 555 determines content to provide to the HMD 505for presentation to the user. For example, if the received informationindicates that the user has looked to the left, the engine 555 generatescontent for the HMD 505 that mirrors the user's movement in a virtualenvironment. Additionally, the engine 555 performs an action within anapplication executing on the console 510 in response to an actionrequest received from the haptic device 560 and provides feedback to theuser that the action was performed. The provided feedback may be visualor audible feedback via the HMD 505 or haptic feedback via one or moreelectrical devices attached to the haptic device 560 (e.g., actuators,vibrators, etc.).

Additional Configuration Information

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the disclosure has beenpresented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed.Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedisclosure.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments of thedisclosure in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations ofoperations on information. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are commonly used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively toothers skilled in the art. These operations, while describedfunctionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to beimplemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits,microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient attimes, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, withoutloss of generality. The described operations and their associatedmodules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or anycombinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments of the disclosure may also relate to an apparatus forperforming the operations herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, and/or it may comprise ageneral-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfiguredby a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer programmay be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storagemedium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus.Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification mayinclude a single processor or may be architectures employing multipleprocessor designs for increased computing capability.

Embodiments of the disclosure may also relate to a product that isproduced by a computing process described herein. Such a product maycomprise information resulting from a computing process, where theinformation is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readablestorage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer programproduct or other data combination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.It is therefore intended that the scope of the disclosure be limited notby this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of thedisclosure, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a wearable device includingone or more deformable signaling pathways wherein each of the one ormore deformable signaling pathways is configured to conduct electricalsignals between a first terminal and a second terminal, each of the oneor more deformable signaling pathways comprising: two or more connectorsconfigured to form an electrical connection between the first terminaland the second terminal, and an elastomeric shell encasing a conductivegel with a value of conductivity and a value of viscosity wherein theconductive gel surrounds each of the two or more connectors and thefirst terminal and the second terminal are external to the elastomericshell and the elastomeric shell is coupled to the first terminal and thesecond terminal.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the conductive gelsuspends a number of conductive particles.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the elastomeric shell encasing the conductive gel is configuredto impart restoring forces to return the elastomeric shell to itsoriginal size and shape.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein eachconnector of the two or more connectors is coupled to an adjacentconnector of the two or more connectors forming a conductive chain ofconnectors.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein each connector of the twoor more connectors comprises: a body coated with an electrical conductorcomprising a slit with a first diameter; and a mechanical fastenercomprising a cylindrical shaft coupled to the body with a seconddiameter and a hemispherical tip coupled to the cylindrical shaft with athird diameter, wherein the second diameter is larger than or equal tothe third diameter and the second diameter is less than or equal to thefirst diameter.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the fastener of eachconnector of the two or more connectors is threaded through the slit ofan adjacent connector.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein each connectorof the two or more connectors can freely slide relative to an adjacentconnector along the slit.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein a firstconnector of the two or more connectors is connected to the firstterminal and a second connector of the two or more connectors isconnected to the second terminal through the elastomeric shell.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1 further comprising: a controller configured to enablecommunication with a console, store instructions and measurements fromthe wearable device, generate and propagate electrical waveforms, andreceive messages from one or more electrical devices connected to thecontroller via the one or more deformable signaling pathway.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:measure the resistance of each of the one or more deformable signalingpathways; and store each of the one or more measured resistance.
 11. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:determine one or more calibration parameters for each of the one or moredeformable signaling pathways in the wearable device; and store thedetermined calibration parameters.
 12. A system comprising: a wearabledevice including one or more deformable signaling pathways wherein eachof the one or more deformable signaling pathways is configured toconduct electrical signals between a first terminal and a secondterminal, each of the one or more deformable signaling pathwayscomprising: a top set of spring leaves and a bottom set of spring leavesconfigured to enable a connection between the first terminal and thesecond terminal, and an elastomeric shell encasing a conductive gel witha value of conductivity and a value of viscosity wherein the conductivegel surrounds each of the top set of spring leaves and the bottom set ofspring leaves wherein the first terminal and the second terminal areexternal to the elastomeric shell and the elastomeric shell is coupledto the first terminal and the second terminal.
 13. The system of claim12, wherein the top set of spring leaves and the bottom set of springleaves each comprise one or more conductive elements with springqualities and each of the one or more conductive elements are anchoredto the elastomeric shell.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one ormore conductive elements are a conductive polymer bent into a U-shape.15. The system of claim 12, wherein a first conductive element of theone or more conductive elements is connected to the first terminal and asecond conductive element of the one or more conductive elements isconnected to the second terminal through the elastomeric shell.
 16. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the top set of spring leaves and the bottomset of spring leaves are configured to form an electrical connectionwith one another.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the elastomericshell encasing the conductive gel is configured to impart restoringforces to return the elastomeric shell to its original size and shape.18. The system of claim 12 further comprising: a controller configuredto enable communication with a console, store instructions andmeasurements from the wearable device, generate and propagate electricalwaveforms, and receive messages from one or more electrical devicesconnected to the controller via the one or more deformable signalingpathway.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to: measure the resistance of each of the one or moredeformable signaling pathways; and store each of the one or moremeasured resistance.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the controlleris further configured to: determine one or more calibration parametersfor each of the one or more deformable signaling pathways in thewearable device; and store the determined calibration parameters.